


Ulterior Motives

by havocthecat



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Het, Romance, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-20
Updated: 2009-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-02 11:43:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havocthecat/pseuds/havocthecat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John wants a night alone with Elizabeth. To do that, he has to let Cadman and McKay blow things up. Without him. He'll take the trade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ulterior Motives

"This is what they unearthed on the east pier?" asked Elizabeth. She raised one eyebrow at the palm-sized disk in John's hand. He was looking at her with an eagerness he held in reserve for flying puddlejumpers and testing explosives. Oh. "It's not--"

"McKay says it's safe." John sat on the edge of her desk and gave her a pleading look. "It won't explode unless you hit the right sequence of buttons. Or, really, the wrong one."

"Excuse me?" asked Elizabeth, trying not to let her eyes widen more than a fraction.

Not for the first time, she found herself wondering what it was with half her expedition and things that blew up. Radek and Rodney were both hovering outside her office, and this _did_ explain why both Major Lorne and Lieutenant Cadman had walked by at least three times now.

"The Ancients designed this near the end of the war with the Wraith," said John. He grinned. "It doubles as a communicator, but if you don't enter the right code sequence before and after you use it, the thing explodes. McKay wants to test them for scientific purposes. The military wants to investigate the possibilities of using it in the war on the Ori."

"You mean they want to see how big the explosion is," said Elizabeth.

"Okay, yeah, but if we let them play, everyone's going to be occupied with that, and no one's going to notice you and I sneaking away for a couple of hours together." John's voice turned wheedling. "I got Teyla to bring us some of those berries from the mainland."

"I don't know," said Elizabeth. It didn't seem right to distract everyone this way, not even if there _were_ practical applications for this new technology. It was dangerous, after all.

"Please? It's been too long since we've been able to have dinner without being interrupted." John gave her a pleading look.

Elizabeth's expression wavered. She wanted to spend time with John, and they were always interrupted. It made having a relationship more difficult. She took the disk and turned it over as she studied it. "You have yourself a deal, Colonel."

She wasn't sure what she was getting herself into, but when John's expression melted into the adorably smug look he got when thought he had gotten one over on her, Elizabeth's eyes narrowed.

"One test. Tonight only." Elizabeth handed the disk back to John. "Lieutenant Cadman can assist."

"Aw, but we need more than one--" started John.

Elizabeth held up her hand. "One test. Dinner tonight. My quarters?"

"I can live with that."

\--end--


End file.
